Saturday, June 4, 2022

Album: Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal [2013]

Ah, the beautiful record that is Sempiternal. Many consider it their best album in their career, some think of it as the last good album, but regardless what you think, it is a masterpiece as it stands. As an ever evolving band reputed for being so ahead of the curve people hated them for it, Sempiternal saw Bring Me The Horizon finally bringing the "we'll do whatever we want" throttle to full.

We definitely have to talk about Can You Feel My Heart. It opens up the record and in a violently daring way, choosing to have the most pop-esque track to be the first impression. Now their most popular song, it took people by surprise at the time for how electronic oriented it was, but it's become one of their most iconic tracks and has more or less defined part of their sound.

Not to say they don't have any heavy bangers, The House of Wolves, Empire (Let Them Sing) and Antivist retains that barrage of rageful temper that has become more refined since the Suicide Season days. Even then, I admire how they can weave melodic vocal elements into some of these tracks to add some much needed texture, without compromising on the heaviness.

When it comes to the highlights, Shadow Moses and Sleepwalking have to be my picks. I personally love these two songs to death, even if Can You Feel My Heart shadows them both by popularity. Sleepwalking has to be one of the most evocative metalcore songs, for how genuinely it presents itself as the creative representation of depression, alongside so many other mental illnesses. It feels real, it feels authentic, it feels personal, it's relatable. Shadow Moses is the other side of the coin, embodying the outward anger, the rage at the world, a sentiment that only becomes more relevant with time.

As an overall record, their bold infusion of orchestral elements, electronic elements as well as a softer sound in general is one of my favourite things about this record. Choosing to make a meaningful record that delivers a message rather than please a certain demographic's desire for heaviness, never riding the tides but making their own, that has become one of their mantras. Even in this record's expanded edition alone, we already get a taste of how willing they are to diversify, with Deathbeds being a haunting love ballad and Join The Club being a more punk-ish anthem.

Albeit softer (as if that would be a bad thing), Bring Me The Horizon chose to trade in the heaviness of their earlier albums in exchange for a colossal influx of uniqueness and dynamicism that gives the entire tracklist so much diversity and flavour. Being arguably the most pivotal record in their career, they've only skyrocketed even higher ever since, but this piece of their history is no doubt one to admire and appreciate.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:
1. Can You Feel My Heart
2. The House of Wolves
3. Empire (Let Them Sing)
4. Sleepwalking
5. Go to Hell, for Heaven's Sake
6. Shadow Moses
7. And the Snakes Start to Sing
8. Seen It All Before
9. Antivist
10. Crooked Young
11. Hospital for Souls
Expanded Edition:
12. Join the Club
13. Deathbeds